I'm Still Me
by doctorwhoviansunite
Summary: Left once again in a parallel universe, Rose Tyler struggles with her life with the duplicate Doctor. Can she grow to accept him as the same man she traveled with all those years ago? And what about the Doctor? How will he handle the domestic life of a normal human man?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Woo! Finally got around to this. If BBC won't give us the spinoff we're dying for, we can at least fill our need for some Tentoo/Rose through our own stories :P**

"Oh, don't forget this! The universe is in need of defending. Chunk of the TARDIS."

The Doctor, Donna Noble, Rose Tyler, and the Meta-Crisis Doctor stood on the sandy shore at Bad Wolf Bay. The Doctor tossed his identical self a small, hard item. "Grow your own." He smiled.

The other man looked at him with a quizzical look. "But that takes thousands of years."

"No because-"

But Donna broke in. "If you..." her voice travelled so quickly that Rose was lost at the beginning. She looked at the man next to her, though, who not only seemed to understand, but was utterly impressed.

"We never thought of that!" Both Doctors said in sync.

Donna shrugged. "I'm brilliant."

"The Doctor..." The true Doctor muttered sadly. "In the TARDIS with Rose Tyler. As it should be.

"But what about you?" Rose bit her lip to hold back the tears, as she said goodbye once again to her best friend.

But, at least, it was a bit different this time.

"Oh, I'm fine, I've got madame." He tilted his head in Donna's direction.

"Human with a Time Lord brain." Donna mused. "Perfect combination. We can travel the universe forever...best friends. And equals. Just what this skinny boy needs. An equal."

Rose saw the Doctor smile, but something was hidden in his expression. She didn't think about it too much.

The Doctor spun around as the TARDIS made a low humming noise. He turned back to Rose and gazed at her with a look of regret. "We've got to go. This reality is sealing itself off...forever."

Rose sniffed against the tears forcing themselves out of her eyes. "But..." She ran up as the Doctor began walking away. "Its still not right...cos...the Doctor's...still you..."

He turned to look at her, his expression remaining the same. "And I'm him." He nodded towards the clone.

"Alright." Rose drew in a shaky breath. "Both of you answer me this."

Both men stood on either side of her.

"When I last stood on this beach..." She began. "On the worst day of my life. What was the last thing you said to me? Go on say it..."

The Doctor gave her a lopsided smile. "I said Rose Tyler."

"Yeah, and how was that sentence going to end?"

"Does it need saying?.."

Rose stared at him, crestfallen, before turning her gaze to the identical man on the other side. "And you, Doctor? What was the end of that sentence?"

He gave her a knowing smile and leaned in to whisper into her ear. "Rose Tyler, I love you."

And that was all she needed. Rose grabbed the top of his jacket and pulled him in for a kiss. He returned it with much passion, gratefulness...and relief.

_She's happy. _The Doctor told himself. _And that's what matters. As long as she's happy, so am I. _Still, he couldn't shake the feeling of utter sadness as he cast a final glance at the love of his life before returning to the TARDIS.

At the sound of the machine taking off, Rose broke the kiss and dashed in the direction of the dematerializing TARDIS. She stopped halfway, knowing it was too late. Before she could make another move she felt a hand grasp hers. The duplicate Doctor was holding her hand tightly in comfort.

"Our life begins, Rose."

* * *

In the time Rose had spent in that world, she had gotten her own flat. Jackie was more than happy to give them a lift.

The drive home was filled with an awkward silence. Despite the events just moments before, Rose felt slightly uncomfortable and strange. She still was no where near being completely used to the situation. The man she loved was gone...but also wasn't.

Boy, was her life difficult.

She glanced over to the other side of the back seat, where the Doctor was gazing silently out the window. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

She didn't know what to say.

And she didn't know when she would again.

* * *

"Thanks, Jackie." The Doctor cast a farewell to Rose's mum as he stepped inside the young woman's flat. His stomach twisted with hurt and confusion at Rose's unexpected coldness towards him. With no more than a quick glance at him she walked through the living room and into the hallway. The Doctor heard a door shut, and figured she must have retreated into her bedroom. A bit awkwardly, not knowing what to do, the Doctor sat down on the brown leather couch that bordered the wall. He picked up a magazine that sat on the coffee table in front of him. After no more than ten seconds of flipping through the pages he threw it across the room, briefly running a hand through his hair.

"Damn domestics..." he muttered, standing up. "I'm a nine-hundred year old Time Lord. I've defeated Daleks, Cybermen, even bloody shop dummies. And here I am.." He sighed. "Captivated by domestics."

Despite his words, he knew this was going to be the new him. No aliens, no TARDIS...not for a while at least...and no danger. Well, mostly no danger.

He still had to face Rose. For real this time. There was a lot of stuff to talk about..

Just then, his attention was turned to the hallway as he heard the sound of approaching footsteps. Rose stepped into the living room, leaning up against the wall. The only change in her appearance was her removed jacket and her face red and wet from the apparent tears.

"S-sorry about that." She didn't quite meet his gaze, and shuffled her feet uncomfortably. "Want anything to eat?"

"Rose."

"Don't have anything fancy, sandwich okay?"

"Rose..."

"I've got some soup too I think. How does that-"

"-Rose!"

She finally met his gaze with cold, yet sad eyes. "What?"

"We need to talk." The Doctor's voice hardened.

"There's nothing to talk about." Rose's voice was nearly a whisper. She folded her arms across her chest.

"Yes there is!" He was growing desperate. "Please, Rose." He sat down on the couch, leaving room for her to sit next to him. She sat down, a bit reluctantly, but on the far side. He didn't know why, but the small action made the Doctor's single heart wrench. "What's wrong?"

"What do you mean?" She asked innocently.

"I..." He stammered. "I know this isn't easy for you...but its not easy for me either."

Rose huffed and shook her head. "You wouldn't understand."

"Yeah, well maybe you're right."

The Doctor's change in demeanor slightly startled Rose. "Huh?"

"Maybe I don't understand. I know you're struggling with losing him...er...me...but-"

"No, not you." She narrowed her eyes. "Him."

"Rose..."

"You know what?" Rose scoffed standing up. "I don't even want to hear it...sure, you look like him, you sound like him, hell you even have the same mind as him." She took a step closer, glaring at him with scarring eyes. "But you're _not _him."

"What about me?" He stood up to face her. "This is just as hard for me as it is for you. He didn't just leave you here, he left me too."

"What?"

"Rose, you see this?" He reached into his pocket and pulled out the bit of TARIDS he'd been given. "Normally, it would take thousands of years to grow a TARDIS of my own. But with Donna's help, and a little trick I know myself, I can speed up the process quick enough to have me out of here and traveling the stars once again in as little as a month. But you know what?" He threw the item across the room, making Rose jump. "I gave up that life. I gave up everything I have ever known. And I did it for _you, _Rose. For you."

Rose was speechless, and just stared him.

"Back on that beach, I told you how I felt about you..." He lowered his voice and stared at the ground. "And it wasn't a lie." When Rose still said nothing, he looked up at her and grasped her shoulders firmly yet gently. "Rose Tyler..." He let out a small laugh. "You are the greatest thing that ever happened to me. You...you filled this empty spot in me..." He shook his head. "There I go with the domestics again." He sighed. "But its true. Rose, I love you more than anything in the world, and I will do anything for you." He dropped his hands. "I know its different. I know I'm not him but..."

He drew in a still breath. "But I'm still me."

A small smile flickered across Rose's lips. And the Doctor returned it with a surge of relief. She threw her arms around his neck and he wrapped his hands around her waist, burying his head in her thick, blonde hair.

"I'm sorry." She sniffed.

"Don't you dare be sorry." He pulled back and crouched a bit until he was eye-level with her. "We're going to make this work. And if you want," He turned his head to look at the bit of TARDIS he had given, which had knocked over a lamp after his throw. "In a month or so, it'll be just the way it was before. The Doctor and Rose, in the TARDIS."

A brighter smile crept across Rose's face, and her eyes glistened with tears...but this time of happiness. She nodded.

"As it should be."

**A/N: Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I know its pretty much just mainly fluff and all right now, but there'll be some adventure to look forward to soon ;) **

Rose sat across the table from the Doctor, watching a bit amused as he scarfed down the sandwich she had prepared.

"Um, enjoying that?" At the sound of Rose's voice the Doctor's head shot up from where it had been lulling over his food. A bit of sandwich started to fall out of his mouth, and Rose couldn't contain a small bout of laughter.

"Hmm? Oh." he muttered over his mouthful of ham. "Its lovely."

Rose smiled. "So..."

"So?" The Doctor put his now empty plate in the sink before sitting back down in front of Rose.

"What now?" Rose dared to ask. She hadn't expect them to settle down this easy...surely the Doctor was uncomfortable trapped in a tiny flat.

But he just shrugged. "Dunno." Then he smiled. "You and I are together, we'll have the TARDIS up and running in no time, so all we have to do is wait."

Rose nodded. "Suppose so."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

She hesitated. "Are we just planning on going back to our old life? Traveling the stars, saving people, running into all kinds of danger..."

He had her full attention now. "Isn't that what you want?"

Rose gave him a lopsided smile. "I guess its been so long that its hard to imagine." She sighed. "But yes. Its what I want more than anything."

The Doctor could see the truth in her eyes, and with that he stood up. "Well then!" He slipped his blue jacket back on and retreated to the door. "Wait here."

"Where're you goin'?"

"Oh, you'll see." He winked. "Be back in a mo."

And Rose heard no more except for the closing of the front door. She cleared the table before stepping into the living room, impatiently waiting for his return. When twenty minutes passed, she decided to occupy her time. She retrieved a set of sheets and laid it over the couch for where the Doctor would be sleeping, and threw a pillow there too.

She figured that eventually they would probably end up sharing a bed...but no need to rush things right? After his sleeping place had been prepared, Rose was relieved to finally hear the front door swing open. She spun around, expecting to see the Doctor, but Jackie stepped in instead. Rose tried to hide her disappointment.

"Gee, thanks for knocking." She scoffed.

"Oi," Jackie gave her a hard glare. "Just wanted to see how things were going."

"To be honest," Rose sighed. "Much better than I thought."

"Really?"

"Don't sound so surprised!" She huffed. "But yeah. I didn't think it was going to be this easy, Mum...I really didn't...but its not all that bad."

Jackie couldn't help but give her daughter a hug. "I'm so glad your happy."

"Yeah." Rose closed her eyes, comforted by her mother's embrace. "Me too."

"Well I need to get going." Jackie said. "Tony's asleep in the car, just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Why don't you bring him in!" Rose invited. "I'm sure the Doctor would love to meet him."

Jackie looked around. "Where is that skinny freak anyway?"

Rose shrugged. "Said he'd be back soon."

"And about his name..."

Rose's eyes narrowed slightly. "His name?"

"You're still callin' him the Doctor?" Jackie couldn't help but feel slightly surprised. He looked the same, sounded the same, but it still wasn't the Doctor...Rose's Doctor.

"I...I didn't really think about that. But yeah. Its still him...well in a way. I mean, I'm not gonna change his name. Its like if you have a dog for two years, then decide to change his name. It would just be weird-"

"Oi, so I'm a dog now huh?" Rose jumped at the sound of the Doctor's voice as he entered the flat, a victorious grin on his face.

"No...I didn't mean..." Rose stammered.

"Relax, Rose." he laughed, then turned to her mum. "Hey, Jackie."

"Settled in alright?" Jackie asked, casting a quick glance at the couch where Rose had prepared a place for him to sleep.

Rose was surprised when she saw him widen his eyes a bit. "Oh..er...yeah." He gave a fake smile. "Its great."

"Well I'll leave you lot to it." Jackie stepped out the door. "Hollar if you need anything." then shut it behind her.

There was a moment of awkward silence stretched throughout the room. "Where were you anyway?...What is it?" Rose asked as she noticed his slightly crestfallen expression.

"Hmm? Oh, nothing. Just kinda thought..you and I'd be together..." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Er...nevermind." And with that, his demeanor changed completely. "So!" He grinned. "Getting a bit late. What do you say we turn in for the night?"

Rose narrowed her eyes a bit before nodding. "Alright. I'll-"

"Oh I forgot!" Jackie swung the door open again and tossed a set of men's pyjamas at the Doctor. "Same ones you wore on Christmas. G'night you two..no funny business while I'm gone!" She pointed an accusing finger at the Doctor before walking out once again.

The Doctor smiled. "She even brought the dressing gown!" He shook out the dark blue robe. "A bit heavy..." He reached into one of the pockets. "Ah, of course."

Rose chuckled. "Lemme guess..."

"There's a bloody apple in my dressing gown!" He tossed the fruit up in the air before catching it and setting it on the coffee table.

Rose laughed before taking a step back. "I'll leave you to it. Let me know if you need anything."

"Oh, I'm sure I'll be fine." He flashed a grin in her direction. "Goodnight, Rose."

"Goodnight, Doctor."

* * *

The Doctor gazed at the ceiling, watching the fan blades spin.

_1:07 a.m._

He couldn't sleep. He had laid there for hours, trying to force sleep to consume him, but it never came. He thought it'd be easy, in a human body. He didn't have his Time Lord system to supply the energy he needed, but still, something was keeping him awake.

But he knew what it was.

This life was hard. Harder than anything he'd experienced before. He shouldn't be sleeping on a domestic sofa, he should be out traveling the stars. Defeating the Daleks over and over. Fighting all kinds of alien races. But he couldn't. He was human now, and this was his life...for the next month at least. He'd just have to get used to it.

He'd luckily been able to avoid telling Rose where he'd gone just moments before. But in reality, he was preparing the place for their TARDIS to grow. It wasn't like some kind of plant - just water and sunshine and it would be ready in no time - it was an extra-terrestrial machine which needed specific care and technology to develop properly.

Thank Rassilon he still had his Gallifreyan brain.

He could do it. Just one month...and it wasn't all bad! Sure, he was living a domestic life...in a house...with a mortgage... and CARPETS! But at least he was with Rose.

And that's what mattered.

**A/N: Reviewwwwww! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: So this chapter is full of humorous fluff xD again, the adventure will start soon. **

The Doctor finally fell asleep around 3:30. When he woke, bright sunlight shone through the blinds. He felt groggy and his mouth tasted all weird. His blanket had fallen to the floor in the middle of the night and his head lulled off the side of the couch, drool sliding down the side of his face.

Rough night.

He sat up and stretched, immediately jolted into full wakefulness as he saw the time.

_12:13_?

Damn. Humans needed a hell of a lot of sleep. The Doctor sluggishly trekked to the kitchen, and poured himself a glass of water.

"Rose?" He called, setting his glass down. No way she was still asleep. "Roooooose?" he called again. No reply. He looked around, unnecessarily frantic. He checked her bedroom and bathroom, no one there. He took a step outside, still in his jim-jams, and noticed her car gone.

Oh. Duh.

Rose had been here two years. She had a life.

_Parallel world, parallel Torchwood. _Rose had simply gone to work. The Doctor retreated back into the living room, flopping down without knowing what to do with himself. Everything inside him itched with the longing of adventure. Usually when he was bored...scratch that...he was never bored. When his companions were absent, he'd busy himself with TARDIS repairs. Improving something here, tinkering with something there, he always had something to do.

But now, he was just bored.

Only then did he notice something draped over the rocking chair in the corner of the living room. He stood up and took a step closer to find his blue suit, washed and ironed, folded neatly on top of the chair.

"That girl..." He sighed with a smile. He pulled his usual attire, leaving off only his bright blue jacket, then started thinking of ways to entertain his human brain.

* * *

Rose pulled into the driveway at about 4:30pm. As she killed the ignition and stepped out of the vehicle, she suddenly started worrying slightly about the Doctor. She probably should have left a note or something, but figured he would have assumed where she was. Still there, was no telling what he might have gotten into while she was gone.

Rose unlocked the door to her flat, swung it open, and gasped.

The house was a wreck. Assorted metal pieces and wires littered the living room floor. There was an odd substance staining the wall, and a smell coming from the kitchen she didn't even want to ask about.

The Doctor, unaware of her presence, was busying himself behind the telly. She heard the sound metal clanking, and slammed the door shut, taking a step towards him.

* * *

The Doctor's heart skipped a beat as he looked up to see Rose walking towards him, with clenched fists. He expected her expression to be twisted with rage, but to his surprise, it contain slight amusement.

"Um...hi." he smiled innocently.

"Are you bloody KIDDING ME?" Rose shouted. Again, her voice didn't contain solid anger. "What the hell, Doctor?"

"I...er..." He stood up, wiping his hands on his slacks. "You're T.V. was making a weird noise, so I tried to fix it."

"And how'd that go."

"Ummmm..."

Rose smiled. "Yeah. That's what I thought." She screwed up her face in disgust. "What the hell is that smell?"

"Hey, you rhymed!" The Doctor laughed.

"Answer the question."

"Um...tried to make you soup...bad idea."

"A very, very, VERY bad idea." Rose pulled her blouse over her nose, hoping to mask the smell."

"Sorry." The Doctor gave a quirky smile and backed away towards the kitchen, disappearing inside.

* * *

Rose followed him in to see a pot of some stuff that she was scared to ask about. Next thing she knew, the smoke alarm was going off, leaving the Doctor to try and extinguish the tiny flame flickering on top of the goop.

"DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT!" He grabbed the pot and stuck it under the streaming water in the sink. Rose couldn't hold back a bout of laughter. "What?" He shouted over the blaring alarm, setting to work hitting it with a broom until it fell silent.

"Domestic are NOT your thing."

He huffed. "You don't say."

Rose actually thought he looked kinda cute at that moment. His messy, wrinkled light blue dress shirt, had a couple opened buttons at the top. His sleeves were rolled up above his elbows, and to top it all off, his thick brown hair was sticking every which way, looking undeniably fluffable.

"Sorry about the mess." He apologized.

"I'll help you clean up." Rose offered with a laugh. The Doctor nodded and headed into the living room, but Rose called him back in. "What's the whipped cream doing out?" She asked.

"Oh, you know." He said, his voice becoming louder as he got closer to her. "I...er...like whipped cream."

Rose squirted a bit onto her finger, and licked it off with a satisfied smile. "So do I."

"Oi, you gonna share?"

Rose shot a stream into his mouth, not able to contain a giggle.

"Yumm." He licked his lips. Rose then shot him a mischievous glare before squirting him in the face.

The Doctor spat out some of the cream, onto the floor. "What the hell?"

Rose sprayed it again, this time in his hair.

"Oh, you crossed the line, missy!" He reached into the fridge, grabbing another can Rose didn't even know about. A new can at that. He opened it and squirted it onto her nose, then onto his hand, which he shoved into her face.

"Okay." Rose wiped her face. "Its war."

And what a war it was.

Slippery cream littered the floor, and practically covered their clothing. Rose's can contents were empty, so she grabbed the first thing she could find to defend herself from the flying topping.

Her hand reached a banana. Of course.

The Doctor laughed. "Oh, no. Attack of the bananas!" He emptied the rest of the contents into her hair, and started scrubbing it like he was shampooing her.

Rose let out a laugh and rested her forehead against his, where they leaned in for a kiss. At that moment they both slipped, tumbling to the ground in an ungraceful heap.

"Ow." They said simultaneously in between giggles.

"Well, that was fun." The Doctor mused.

"Agreed." As they kissed again, sound at the doorway caught their attention.

"Ahem..."

Their heads both shot up to see Jackie standing in the doorway. "Do I even want to know?" She asked.

"Ummm..." The companions gave each other an amused look and didn't answer.

Jackie shrugged and turned to walk away. "No funny business!" She shouted.

With a final laugh, the Doctor and Rose kissed again and laid back on the floor, not even bothering to clean up the mess. They were having too much fun already.

**A/N: Okay, so I'm grounded .-. my dad let me finish this chapter, but I'm not gonna be updating again for a while. Not sure how long, my grounding is 'indefinite'' ugh. I'll be continuing the story on paper in my absence so I'll have a hell of a lot of updates when I get back ;) For this story and my other currently in the process.**


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